Combination-tool.



Patented July 9, 1918.

WI TNESSES A from/5Y8 Pcrsns cu, PnomumoJWAsmnnm/v. n. c.

unrrnn srnras JOHN L. IDAHL, TEANELCK, NEW ERSEY.

COMBINATION-TOOL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1918.

Application filed February 27, .1918; Serial No. 219,495.

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that-I, JOHN L. DAHL, a citizen of-the United States, and .aresident of Teaneck, in thecounty of Bergen and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and Improved Combination-Tool, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This inventionrelates to tools such as are used by machinists,wood-workers or the like, and has-particular reference to tools of thecharacter in which there is employed a handle or holder cooperating withadjustable or interchangeable parts whereby in effect there are provideddifferent tool units, blades bits or the like for successiveand varioususe withthe same handle.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide-a tool handle withwhich a tool bit or blade of a compound nature is'rotatably adjustable,but with certain of the partsso constructed as to makeaccidental orunintentionalrotation. of the parts. impossible in thepractice of thetoolor implement.

Afurther object of' the invention is to provide a: multiple-bladescrew-driver, or its equivalent, having constant connection with asingle handle of simple relatively cheap construction, the whole devicebeing designed with a particular object of strength, simplicity andsafety to theoperator.

VViththe foregoing and other objects in View the invention consists inthe arrangement'an'd combination of parts hereinafter describedandvclaimed, and while. the invention is not restricted. to the exactdetails :of construction disclosed or suggested herein, stilli forthepurpose of illustrating a pra0- tical. embodiment thereof reference ishad to the .accompanyingdrawings, in whichlike reference characters 1designate the same parts in the .severalviews, and in which- Figure 1 isa frontelevation of the imroved toolwith. one adjustment of'the adius epa Fig. a side elevation of the same, a portion of the handle beingbroken away to better illustrate: the preferred construction thereof;and

Fig 3 isa sideelevation illustratinga clifferent adjustment, the handlebeing employed in this adjustment as a lever, and also indicating aportion of the handle de vices broken away.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings I- show a combinationtool comprising a handle 1O formed preferably of relatively light andcheap sheet metal'bent in themiddle into a loop ll'constituting theouter end of the handle and. having the end portions 12 of the handlearranged'in planes parallel to each other and slightly spaced andprovided with coaxial or registering holes 12. The main portion of thehandle, as will be understood best from Fig. 2, may beof hollow orskeleton construction for the sake of lightness and relative strengthand yet with a convex form in cross section for convenience of theoperator. A clamping. bolt 13 of any suitable nature extends through theregistering holes 12" and is provided with a winged nut 14, or itsequivalent, for forcibly drawing the flat portions 12 of the handletoward each other.

The extreme ends of'the handle members 12 are substantially straight asshown at 15 as are also the side edges 16 of the same parts,

and the edges 15 and 16 are also preferably of the same distance fromthe axis of the holes,

The tool portion proper as distinguished from the handle is preferablyof a single or integral piece and comprises a shank or body 17 of awidth preferably practically the same as the width between the edges 16of the handle ends 12 and having a uniform thickness corresponding .tothe space between the ends 12. At the center of this body l7'there isprovided a slot 18 extending lengthwise of the body, the slot being soarranged that either end thereof may register with the holes 12 whilethe bolt 13 passes therethrough. V

Adjacent to the flat body portion 17 the tool is provided withenlargements providing shoulders 19 arranged perpendicular to the longeraxis ofthe 'slot'18 and adapted to abut squarely against either theedges 15 or 16 of the handle member according to the position of-thetool blades with respect to thehandle. These shoulders 19' serve atleast two important and immediate functions, as will be set forth below.

The tool illustrated comprises a multiple screw-driver having a largerbit 20 and a smaller bit 21. It is to be understood, however, that thespecific character of the tool or tools is subject to any desiredvariation, either as to function or number. I show two of the screw bitsor ends, and hence while one of them is housed within the hollow handle10 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the

other is pointed directly below the handle for use as an ordinaryscrew-driver while the handle is rotated by hand around the axis of theactive bit. The shoulder portion 19 of the housed bit is sodesigned withrespect to the shoulder portion 22 of the handle as to freely pass thesame while the bit as a whole is being rotated around the bolt 13. Inthe use of the device adjusted as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it will be seenthat pressure applied to the handle to hold the active bit in operatingposition will be communicated from the end edges 15 directly against theshoulders 19 of the active bit. Thus the clamping bolt 13 will berelieved from all duty except that incident to holding the parts inoperating position through the operation of the winged nut. In otherwords the strength of the bolt that is sufficient to prevent spreadingof the flat ends 12 away from each other such as would permit anypossible collapse of the implement is relatively slight. As anotherfunction,however, of the shoulders 19 they in cooperation with thestraight edges or ends 15 serve to prevent accidental turning of thehandle relatively around the axis of the bolt or what might be calledthe folding of the tool, it being understood that the frictional gripincident to the tightening of the nut 14 may not be excessive and yetwill be sufiicient to prevent such movement of the bolt along the slotthat would permit such folding or rotation. However, when the nut isloosened and the body portion 17 of the tool is free to slip along thebolt, the rotation thereof around the bolt is not resisted or obstructedin any way. The ends 19 of the shoulders are preferably beveled orrounded so that there is no interference between the tool proper and thehandle structure.

When the bit or blade portion of the device is turnedat right angles tothe handle as shown in Fig. 3 and the edges 16 of one side of the handleare projected against the shoulders 19 of either bit and the nut 1a istightened the device is so adjusted that the handle 10 constitutes apowerful lever for rotation of the active bit while the tool is steadiedthrough the grasp of the operators hand upon the opposite bit, and asbefore described, the cooperation between the shoulders 19 and thestraight edges of the handle members 12 will prevent any possibleaccidental relative rotation between the handle and bit structure.

0931" .ot thh patent may be obtained tor spaced gripping ends, aclamping member passing through said ends and spanning said space, saidhandle ends being provided with pairs of straight edges, the edges ofeach pair being arranged at right angles to each other, and amultiple-ended tool mounted for rotation upon said gripping memberbetween the spaced ends of the handle and having on each of its sides ashoulder adapted to cooperate in alternation with either edge of theadjacent pair of edges of each handle end aforesaid, substantially asand for the purposes set forth.

'2. The herein-described combination tool comprising a hollow handlecomprising a pair of spaced gripping ends, a clamping member passingthrough said ends and spanning said space, said handle ends beingprovided with straight edges, and a multiple-ended tool mounted forrotation upon said gripping member between the spaced ends of the handleand having pairs of shoulders adapted to cooperate in alternation withsaid straight edges of the handle ends, whereby force applied to thehandle will be communicated directly to the tool and relative rotationbetween the tool and the handle will'be prevented.

'3. The herein-described combination tool comprising a handle, a tooldevice cooperating with the handle and having reversible tool ends forinterchangeable use, and a gripping member passing through the handleand said tool device to lock the tool device in fixed position withrespect to the handle, said handle and tool device both being providedwith interlocking shoulder means adjacent to the gripping member toprevent accidental rotation of either part with respect to the otherwhile the gripping means is tight.

4. In a combination tool, the combination of a handle having straightedges at an angle to each other adjacent to one end thereof, a toolblade having a transverse opening therethrough and provided with asquare shoulder adjacent to said opening, and a clamping pivot memberpassing through the end of the handle aforesaid and through said openingand serving to lock the handle and tool member from relative rotationwith said shoulder in cooperation with either of said straight edges ofthe handle end.

JOHN L. DAHL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of l'atenu.

Washington, D. 0. 1

